This is the title of an article I wrote for the current (May) issue of Prevention Magazine. It is about three women, myself included, who overcame medical catastrophes: stroke, Crohn’s disease, cancer, kidney failure. Writing these stories has convinced me yet again about the power that each of us has to “own our health.” Yes, there are times when an illness or injury is just too overwhelming, and it may be right for the person to let go. I have the utmost respect for people making that decision. At the same time, I always like to think of the possibilities of hope and fighting back, at least to increase our chances of recovery.

2 responses to “Our Lives Were in Our Hands”

Wow – what cool stories in the linked article. Very amazing. I have crohn’s myself and try very hard to stay off steroids – they are “the devil.” LOL. Save your life when you really need them but the side effects are so bad and dangerous I would just about try anything else at this point.

Marianne:
Me and you both. 🙂 I was the woman profiled in the story, and every time I got on the steroids, I found myself in such a rush to get off of them because I was living firsthand how destructive the side effects can be. At one point, I had been on 120 mgs a day . .. needless to say, I looked like a human blimp.